Barnes expelled for bringing the ball to Machado

Boston Red Sox pitcher Matt Barnes was sent off in the eighth inning of Boston’s 6-2 victory Sunday when his pitch came behind third base Baltimore Orioles Manny Machado.

Machado had injured Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia on Friday night, sliding into second base. Machado apologized with a text message on Friday night, but evidently it was not the end.

When Machado hit the sixth inning, Eduardo Rodriguez threw three pitches down and near the knees. He came back in the eighth and the Barnes pitch buzzed behind Machado and hit his bat. The ball hit Machado and left rolling, then home referee Andy Fletcher drove Barnes out.

Boston manager John Farrell immediately left the dugout to complain. Farrell on Saturday called the league office to discuss what he called “an illegal sliding” of Machado.

During Farrell’s discussion with Fletcher, Pedroia was standing on the top step in the dugout and caught the attention of Machado. He said the words “it’s not me,” evidently trying to prove that he was not looking for revenge.

Machado grabbed a bat and waited for Red Sox reliever Joe Kelly to warm up before returning to the batting box with a no-ball strike.

In Kelly’s first pitch, Machado headed a triple to the midfield that drove Adam Jones to a 6-1 lead.

Machado finished the last out, connecting a raise with two out on a pitch by Craig Kimbrel, who got his seventh save.

Pedroia was out of the lineup for a second consecutive game Sunday after being pulled out by Machado’s hard slide in the eighth inning on Friday night. Pedroia continued to experience swelling in her left ankle. He will undergo MRI on Monday after the Red Sox return home.

The test will be administered “to rule out anything,” Farrell told reporters before the end of Sunday’s series against the Orioles at Camden Yards.